Major UK Comms Backbone Bunker Burned Out

evilandi writes "The BBC are reporting that much of Manchester, England is without telephone service following a fire in a major underground tunnel system. The site in question is strongly suspected to be the 'Guardian' nuclear communications bunker system which is one of the main three UK subterranean communications backbone bunkers. The giveaway is this regional BBC news story which mentions Chapel Street, one of the very few entrance/exit points to the 'Guardian' system. If confirmed, Manchester could be without wired communications for some time. The MANAP Manchester Network Access Point regional Internet hub is officially reporting nothing, but a number of UK admins are seeing significant disruption."

Comments

Overdependence on communications

[GillBates0]

This event just goes to show how much we have come to depend on complex networks in the past few decades. I use networks in a very broad sense - networks of pipes to carry water/sewage, electrical grids, telephone networks and ofcourse the intarweb.

Earlier, in the absense of adequate infrastructure, people used to depend on local resources - the water table (borewells/rain) for water, small local power stations/generators for electricity, and ofcourse local businesses for banking, etc.

With the coming of the phone system and internet, we work from home, depend on phone services for emergency help, bank with businesses across the country/world, and depend on long distance communications for the most basic needs like water/electricity.

True, these advances in technology offer a large number of benefits and conveniences, but overabundance on them can cause widespread problems due to a failure of a small part of the communication system.

A problem with the electricity grid causes 1/4th of the nation to shut down, people take phone services for granted in order to provide/receive emergency assistance, and there are no adequate backup measures in place.

The internet is a pretty resilient beast, but the rest of the infrastructure (telephone, electricity, water pipes (very few apartments/houses have water storage) is pretty fault-intolerant and prone to massive-widespread failure (not necessarily to the problem with the system itself - in this case a fire). The 911 problem in NYC, this fire in the UK, and ofcourse underline the fact that we either need to have an adequately fault resistant infrastructure in place, or stop overdepending on it for critical services.

Re:Whoa.. where is the redunancy

[ivan256]

So, do you have a backup phone like to your house that runs over different poles to a different CO?

I didn't think so. There's just no way to make the last mile wire services redundant to an average residence or business in a way that is cost justifiable. Go buy a cell phone.

Re:Credit Cards

[Brad Mace]

If companies bothered to check, MANY would find out that their 'backup' is in the same bundle of wires as their main connection, if not on the SAME strand of fiber. The BBB ought to get on this.

This could be good for Manchester

[Travoltus]

Being one of the early birth places of the industrial revolution is not the best thing in the world, as its infrastructure has been set in stone for decades (for phone service) or centuries (for other things). Now that the old infrastructure is burned out, it leaves room for super modern technology to be put in its place.

The very sad part is that change only comes on the heels of disaster. Perhaps the people in that area will get wireless service until this is resolved?

I'm sure there are places in America that are equally vulnerable, too.

Re:Your grandad paid for this tunnel

[Rob Riggs]

You mean unlike today, where anything we build now will be payed for by our grandchildren. :-)